Lionel Messi's record-breaking career echoes Pele's in more ways than one

On a late December evening in an emptied stadium in the coldest part of Spain, Lionel Messi prepares to set himself apart, once again. A single goal for Barcelona at Valladolid would give Messi the distinction of being the greatest goalscorer for a single club in the professional history of the sport.

Messi's 643rd competitive goal in a Barca jersey, in the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend, matched the current record, the number Pele scored in competitive fixtures for Brazil's Santos between 1957 and 1974. Pele, now 80, sent his congratulations from afar. He assumes the record will be broken soon, and if number 644 does come at Valladolid, there will be applause on hand from somebody who knows what it is to chase a giant Pele milestone. The Valladolid president is the Brazilian Ronaldo, for many years second only to Pele in the list of record goalscorers for their country.

Messi reached his 643 a little scruffily. It should have come direct from a penalty, but Valencia goalkeeper Jaume Domenech momentarily played spoilsport to history by saving the Barcelona’s captain’s spot-kick. He only parried, however, allowing Jordi Alba to pick up the loose ball, and cross for Messi to head in.

Goals from Alba crosses are a regular item in Messi’s vast collection of Barcelona goals. Headers? More of a rarity, although there was a very important one in the 2009 Champions League final. Comparisons across eras are generally misguided, but in any duel to assess greatness between Pele and Messi, we can safely mark the category of aerial threat in Pele’s favour. The Argentinian stands at 1.7m, the Brazilian stood significantly taller and, at his peak, one of Pele’s many athletic assets was a mighty leap.

Pele v Messi has as many distinctions as likenesses. Pele reached his 643 Santos goals in 659 official club matches; Messi should play his 750th Barcelona match next week. But conditions for a brilliant South American footballer playing mostly in South America half a century ago and the most gifted South American playing in Europe in the new millennium are worlds apart. As Pele recalled in his autobiography, he came into a Santos “racking up outrageous scorelines like 10–0, 9–1, 7–1 and 8–1. In thirty-eight games [in the paulista league in 1958] I scored fifty-eight goals.” In all official matches that year, Pele, 18 years old, totalled 75.

Pele prepares to take a penalty against Vasco de Gama at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro November 19, 1969. Domicio Pinheiro / AFP

Messi’s most golden year would be the 2011/12 season, when, aged 24, he struck 73 Barca goals. Overall, he has probably faced better-organised defences than Pele did. Then again, Pele endured hundreds of fouls that under modern refereeing would be more heavily punished than they were 50 years ago. In the era of black-and-white television, skilful players were often left black-and-blue.

What Messi and Pele do share is the certainty that the record one of them is about to take from the other will take a long time to be passed to anybody else. “Stories like ours, of loving the same club for so long will, sadly, be rarer and rarer,” Pele said in his message to Messi. Fifteen-year careers at one employer scarcely exist in elite football. Stars expect to move on, and clubs budget for their doing so, in the 21st century.

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55 Lionel Messi records

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In all likelihood, a ceiling can be set, a deadline specified, about how many more goals Messi scores in a Barcelona jersey. He is minded to be elsewhere next season. He tried to leave last summer, and the club he has been associated with since the age of 13 held him to the €700 million buyout clause in his contract. That contract expires in June. In nine days time, he is allowed to enter talks with foreign clubs about joining them in 2021.

Barca no longer meet his best standards, and Messi has been the most astute judge of their decline. Last season was their first without a major trophy for 12 years. He spoke out about systemic failings. Barca sit fifth in La Liga, eight points off leaders Atletico Madrid, who have played one match fewer. He has watched his favourite allies, like Luis Suarez, depart as a debt-burdened Barcelona cut costs.

In short, he feels eerily like a certain great footballer of the past whose loyalty to the club he had served from his early teens into his mid-30s would eventually seem like a restriction. “With the club I had played for all my life it became harder all the time. The people I knew best fell by the wayside. It felt lonely.” The words are Pele’s, recalling how he felt aged 33. The words could just as easily be 33-year-old Messi’s.

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES

Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)

Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)

Sunday, May 17

Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)

Monday, May 18

Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)

Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill

Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.

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Key fixtures from January 5-7

Watford v Bristol City

Liverpool v Everton

Brighton v Crystal Palace

Bournemouth v AFC Fylde or Wigan

Coventry v Stoke City

Nottingham Forest v Arsenal

Manchester United v Derby

Forest Green or Exeter v West Brom

Tottenham v AFC Wimbledon

Fleetwood or Hereford v Leicester City

Manchester City v Burnley

Shrewsbury v West Ham United

Wolves v Swansea City

Newcastle United v Luton Town

Fulham v Southampton

Norwich City v Chelsea

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